Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula

Lore & Background

The game begins at Starport Outpost 1, where the player commands a poorly equipped spaceship. Crew members are chosen from five races and assigned to positions such as captain, science officer, and engineer. Training and spaceship upgrades—including engines, lasers, shields, and cargo pods—are purchased with funds earned through interstellar trade and barter at alien trading posts. A copy protection scheme requires counting stars on a paper map, though a master code (34789) bypasses it.

Reader's Guide

Starflight 2 is significant for expanding the original game's formula with a robust trade economy and deeper alien interactions. Its mixed reviews reflect praise for its immersive scope and role-playing game of the year award from Computer Gaming World in 1990, alongside criticism of graphics, sound, and repetitive encounters. The game's plot involves discovering the source of the Spemin's advanced technology and fuel, Shyneum, while players engage in trading, exploration, and combat. Its legacy lies in influencing later space-trading games, though it remains less known than its predecessor.

Did You Know?

• The game's copy protection requires counting stars on a paper star map, but the master code 34789 always works.
• The player can recommend uninhabited earth-like planets to Interstel for colonization in return for a monetary reward.
• Blasto pods are single-use torpedoes that must be manually triggered during combat.
• The Spemin acquired their advanced technology and unlimited Shyneum fuel from a mysterious source.